Evoke Greatness Podcast
Do you have an insatiable hunger for growth and knowledge?
Are you interested in hearing the stories of how successful people have navigated their journey towards greatness…all while stumbling through valuable lessons along the way?
My name is Sonnie and I am the host of Evoke Greatness, the weekly podcast driven by my curious nature and fascination with the champion mindset. I am a HUGE book nerd and a wee bit of a "control enthusiast" with an obsession for motivational coffee cups.
On this podcast, we share the ups and the downs, the highs and lows and all the lessons learned in between. It's my most sincere hope you hear something in one or maybe many of these episodes that resonates with you and reminds you that you’re not in this alone.
I believe that a rising tide raises all ships and I invite you along in this journey to Evoke Greatness!
Evoke Greatness Podcast
Change Your Mindset, Change Your Life with Sonnie Linebarger
🎧 Episode 172: Change Your Mindset, Change Your Life
If statistics were the deciding factor in my life… I’d be a nobody.
I came from a broken home, raised by a single mom who worked three jobs just to keep the lights on. I didn’t graduate high school. By all accounts, I wasn’t supposed to become a CEO, start a business, or lead anything of significance.
But statistics don’t determine your destiny, your mindset does.
In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on how your beliefs are building your life ...whether you realize it or not. I share my own journey of breaking free from a fixed mindset and how I rewired the limiting stories I used to tell myself. I also unpack the science of neuroplasticity and how you can start training your brain to believe something better.
This one’s for anyone who’s been playing small, shrinking to fit, or wondering if it’s too late to go after something bigger.
Here’s what I dive into:
- Why most people don’t fail from lack of skill, they fail because they feel unworthy
- The mindset that kept me stuck for 30+ years
- What neuroplasticity is and how it proves you’re never too old to change
- How I went from CNA to CEO...and why I’m just getting started at 47
- How to audit your self-talk and write a new narrative
- What to do when shame, fear, or past trauma tries to keep you in your cage
- And why it’s time to walk out of the jail cell that’s been wide open all along
🔑 Here’s what I want you to take away:
- You are not broken. You’re not behind. You’re not too late.
- You can rewrite your story...starting now.
- Your brain will believe whatever you train it to.
- The same voice telling you “you can’t”… can be trained to say “let’s go.”
đź’ˇ A few things I said that I hope you carry with you:
“The thoughts we think and the stories we tell ourselves… become the limits of our lives.”
“If the door’s not open, kick it down. If that doesn’t work, find a window. There's always another way.”
“You are worthy. You are capable. You are just getting started.”
“You don’t need permission. You need belief.”
A rising tide raises all ships, and I invite you along on this journey to Evoke Greatness!
Check out my website: www.evokegreatness.com
Follow me on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonnie-linebarger-899b9a52/
https://www.instagram.com/evoke.greatness/
https://www.tiktok.com/@evoke.greatness
http://www.youtube.com/@evokegreatness
For anyone who knows my story, the odds were never in my favor. If statistics were always right, I'd be a nobody. I came from a broken home, raised in poverty by a single mom who worked three jobs just to keep a roof over our heads. I didn't even graduate high school. According to the data, I had precisely zero business building a life of any significance. I wasn't supposed to become a CEO. Statistics don't determine your destiny. Your mindset does. Welcome to Evoke Greatness, the podcast for bold leaders and big dreamers who refuse to settle. The podcast for bold leaders and big dreamers who refuse to settle. I'm your host, sunny. I started in Scrubs over 20 years ago doing the gritty, unseen work and climbed my way to CEO. Every rung of that ladder taught me something worth passing on Lessons in leadership, resilience and what it really takes to rise. You'll hear raw conversations, unfiltered truths and the kind of wisdom that ignites something deeper in you your courage, your conviction, your calling. This show will help you think bigger, lead better and show up bolder in every part of your life. This is your place to grow. Let's rise together. Welcome back to another episode of Evoke Greatness, the podcast for bold leaders, big dreamers and those of us who know deep down we were created for more. I'm your host, sunny, and today I want to talk straight to your soul. I want to talk about the mindset that holds you hostage. So I'll start with this Most people don't fail because they lack skill or talent. They fail because they believe they're unworthy. Let that sink in. We don't apply for the job, we don't ask for the raise or pitch the big idea or go for the relationship Because somewhere along the way we started believing the BS lie that we're not enough. And I'm here to tell you stop that trash right now. Seriously stop the thoughts we think and the stories we tell ourselves, the language we use in our own minds. They actually become the limits of our lives. For anyone who knows my story, the odds were never in my favor. If statistics were always right, I'd be a nobody. I came from a broken home, raised in poverty by a single mom who worked three jobs just to keep a roof over our heads. I didn't even graduate high school. According to the data, I had precisely zero business building a life of any significance. I wasn't supposed to become a CEO. I wasn't supposed to build companies or lead teams or coach high-performing executives. That would have all sounded insane years ago. But you know what? Statistics don't determine your destiny. Your mindset does. I spent the first 30 years of my life operating with a fixed mindset, playing small, shrinking to fit, living in survival mode. But something shifted in me about 12 years ago and I started asking myself what if I'm wrong about what's possible for me? And that question cracked the door open.
Speaker 1:And once you see a sliver of light, you don't go back to the dark. Here's the wild part. This isn't just motivation, it's science. Your brain has something called neuroplasticity, which basically means it can literally rewire itself based on how you think, speak and act. Let me say that again your brain is not fixed. Your identity isn't permanent. Fixed, your identity isn't permanent. Your beliefs can be rewritten. When you tell yourself I'm not good enough, your brain looks for proof to make that true. But when you tell yourself I'm capable, I'm worthy, I'm ready, your brain finds that proof instead. This isn't about fake confidence. It is about training your mind to become your ally and not your enemy.
Speaker 1:If I had accepted what life handed me, I would have stayed stuck. But deep down, even as a CNA, doing the work that nobody glamorizes, I knew that I was created for something more. I didn't always believe in myself, but I learned to believe in the possibility, and that was enough to get me moving. Now, now I'm dreaming big. Now I've got audacious visions I plan to bring to life. Is getting into politics on the table? Maybe I would have never thought that was possible. It would have seemed crazy. Now it doesn't sound too far off. Do I have other big ideas brewing? Absolutely. I just turned 47, and I feel like I am just starting to rev my engine.
Speaker 1:So let me ask you something what story have you been telling yourself about yourself? What's the belief that's been keeping you stuck? What trauma or lived experience has become the jail cell that you keep walking back into? Friend, the door to the jail cell is open. All you have to do is have the courage to walk out that fear. It's lying to you, that shame. It's not your identity, that old narrative. You get to rewrite that, starting today, starting right now.
Speaker 1:So I want to give you a few ways to start shifting your mindset. Today, you have to audit your self-talk. You have to catch yourself in the act. What do you say about yourself when no one's listening? And you have to create a new script, like literally write it out. Replace I'm not qualified with. I'm building the experience I need. Replace I can't with. I'm learning.
Speaker 1:Visualize the audacious version of you. See her, hear her, let her speak louder than the fear. And you've got to stack your wins Every day. Write down one thing, just one thing, that you did well. Train your brain to focus on evidence of growth. Doing things like this has become a part of the fiber of my being and my mission.
Speaker 1:I want this mindset to be so freaking contagious that it spills onto every one of you, onto every listener, every reader, every person who crosses my path. I want you to feel invincible, because when you believe that almost nothing is impossible, guess what? You start living like that. So if nobody has told you this today, you are worthy, you are capable. You are worthy, you are capable. If you see that door cracked open, walk through it. If it's not open, kick it open. If that doesn't work for crying out loud, climb through a window. There is always another way. It's not too late and you are not too old Friend. You are just getting started.
Speaker 1:I'm so grateful that you chose to hang out with me today and I hope this message hit home for you. If you know someone who needs to hear this message, would you share it with a friend? I would love if you'd leave a review or share this online and tag me on socials. This is how we spread the fire. Until next time, keep showing up, keep dreaming big and keep evoking greatness. If today's episode challenged you, moved you or lit a fire in your soul, don't keep it to yourself. Share it with somebody who's ready to rise. Could I ask you to take 30 seconds to leave a review? It's the best way to say thank you and help this show reach more bold leaders like you, because this isn't just a podcast, it's a movement. We're not here to play small. We're here to lead loud, one bold and unapologetic step at a time. Until next time, stay bold, stay grounded and make moves that make mediocre uncomfortable.
